I spent five years at Forbes writing about business and leadership, attracting nearly one million unique visitors to Forbes.com each month. While here, I assistant edited the annual World’s 100 Most Powerful Women package and helped launch and grow ForbesWoman.com. I've appeared on CBS, CNBC, MSNBC and E Entertainment and speak often at conferences and events on women's leadership topics. I graduated summa cum laude from New York University with degrees in journalism and sociology and was honored with a best in business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) in 2012. My work has appeared in Businessweek, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Aesthete and Acura Style. I live in New York City with my husband and can be found on Twitter @Jenna_Goudreau, Facebook, and Google+.

Top 5 Interview Mistakes Millennials Make

In today’s job market, older workers have a definitive edge over younger workers. According to a new survey by recruiting firm Adecco, hiring managers are three times more likely to hire a worker that is 50-years-old or older than hire a millennial.

The survey of 501 hiring managers was conducted in late August and defined millennial workers as those born between 1981 and 2000, meaning workers age 31 and under. The recruiters seemed most concerned with millennials’ long-term commitment, professionalism and reliability. They also said millennial workers need major improvement in their interview skills.

Here are the top five interview mistakes millennials make, based on the survey results—and how you can avoid them.

No. 1: Wear Inappropriate Interview Attire

The top interview mistake millennials make is wearing the wrong clothing, according to 75% of hiring managers surveyed. When Angela Romano Kuo was vice president of human resources at professional job-matching company TheLadders, she recalls being appalled that a young man came to an interview wearing a golf shirt, shorts and flip flops. He did not get the job. “Err on the side of being overdressed to make a good impression,” she advises. In an interview, stay away from flashy jewelry, plunging necklines, too-short hemlines, t-shirts, and shoes that are too casual or too difficult to walk in. “You never want to wear something that can be distracting, so if you have to think twice about it—skip it.”

No. 2: Have Posted Questionable Social Media Content

An overwhelming majority (70%) of hiring managers said millennials make the mistake of posting potentially compromising content on social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. Conversely, managers reported that only 19% of older workers post improper content. According to a recent survey by Intel, top social media faux pas include posting inappropriate or explicit photos, sharing too-personal information about yourself or others, using profanity, and writing with poor grammar and spelling. Young people should be especially careful of their grammar, considering that 46% of hiring managers believe millennials need to improve their writing skills.

No. 3: Haven’t Done Their Research

Hiring managers are generally skeptical of millennials’ research skills, and 62% said it hurts them in an interview when they have not done enough research or preparation on the company and position. While young professionals are most associated with being creative (74%) and strong networkers (73%), they are not believed to be organized (8%) or detail-oriented (17%). The easiest way to flip this assumption on its head is for millennials to be as prepared as possible for the interview. Do internet research on the company, position and interviewer; read as many recent articles as you can find about the industry; and use your LinkedIn connections to talk directly to someone already working there about the culture and environment.

No. 4: Don’t Ask Enough Questions

Three in five interviewers say that millennials often show a lack of interest in the job by not asking questions about the company or position. If you don’t ask smart questions, you’ll appear indifferent or clueless. Some of the best questions for a job candidate to ask in an interview are: How would you describe the ideal candidate? How does this position fit into the company’s long-term plans? What can I do for you as a follow-up? Questions you should stay away from in an interview concern salary, benefits and hours, which should be discussed once an initial offer is made.

No. 5: Overconfident In Themselves

A whopping 57% of hiring managers say millennials can be overconfident in their abilities and experience in an interview. “I love Gen Y, but we all know that they have been conditioned to have a wonderful sense of self-esteem,” says Kate White, longtime Cosmopolitan editor and author of career guide I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This. “One mistake younger people tend to make is making it all about them.” White recommends keeping the focus on specific accomplishments and how you’d apply what you’ve learned to get results in the new position.

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As a currently part-time employed/full-time student/millennial (pardon the clutter), I have seen many of my peers struggle to ascertain jobs or internships in light of the fact that their interview skills are poor. The issues you’ve pointed out are incredibly accurate, especially the research portion in preparation for an interview. Nowadays, it’s a blessing to have an interview lined up, especially with an astounding amount of research that points to current college graduates as having the most difficult time in recent memory to gain employment. More often than not, as you’ve pointed out, because they have an interview, they become cocky during the process and consider themselves a “shoe-in.” In this case, they come off to an interviewer more like a size-too-small, overused Croc than a comfortable dress shoe. In short, be cordial, confident, and honest before, during, and after the interview.

As a fellow millenial, I have to call you out on your vocabulary. I don’t think “ascertain” was the word you meant, which you have to admit is sort of an ironic mistake to make given the point of this article and your comment.

Yes, very ironic in view of the context of the article Laura. I imagine that ‘obtain’ was the word he was striving for, although ‘secure’ would have been just as appropriate.

The overconfidence exhibited by some candidates can be truly astounding. I can only assume that it comes from a lifetime of receiving exaggerated praise for every achievement they ever made. I’m sorry, but telling every child and young adult that they’re a ‘winner’ and the ‘best’ doesn’t make it so, and unfortunately not everyone can be whatever they want to be when they grow up.

I appreciate that you mentioned, “What can I do for you as a follow-up?” as an interview question because it’s an opportunity to examine how closely the applicant’s attempts at relating prior experience to the position really match in a useful, meaningful way. It’s also a great way to find out how to “put your money where your mouth is” when the interviewer responds with a productive task rather than says, “Wait for us to contact you.”

Thank you very much for your post Mam. I was aware of the first 3 points but didn’t know much about the last 2. Hope to see more interview related posts from you soon. It would be great if you can focus on the last 2 points in this post in a new article with more research taking more opinions from professionals. Thanks again & all the best.

I have to wonder what role experience plays in the preference for hiring older workers. Just by virtue of age, a younger candidate will likely have a less substantial resume, but for this generation in particular, graduating into a recession means that their first few post-college positions may have been less career-track and more minimum wage. That has to hurt when compared head-to-head with someone who has a (relevant) track record stretching back at least two decades.

Focusing on specific accomplishments is a great way to catch the hiring manager’s interest. Moreover, millennials should use big-ticket sales techniques in the interview. We posted a piece http://academy.justjobs.com/use-big-ticket-sales-techniques-to-land-a-job-offer/ that discusses this and provides details. – Erich